THE HORSES OF MADEIRA. 27 



lation. The only thing to put a visitor in good temper 

 was the fruit-market and hotel ; the former was 

 attractive from the lavish display of such numerous 

 varieties of fruit ; the latter from the courtesy of the 

 hostess, the attention of the servants, the excellence 

 of the cuisine, and last, though not least, the beauty 

 of the garden overlooked by the terrace. 



There is one more thing I ought to praise when 

 the dumb creation are concerned, I would not willingly 

 neglect them that is, the horses ; all barbs, from 

 Mogadore. This breed of horses I have had much 

 experience of, but never before did I see finer speci- 

 mens of the race that claims our Godolphin as 

 a worthy member. The chargers of the Chasseurs 

 d'Afrique are ponies compared with the horses here, 

 and have not half the stamina ; and my only regret was 

 that they had such smitch-like masters. 



A good dinner, a long stroll in the garden, with an 

 immense supply of fruit, brought the time for embarka- 

 tion ; and nothing prevented our getting comfortably 

 on board our good ship, but a playful tendency of 

 our friend the Laird to pelt the numerous parrots with 

 green figs. These birds hung at all convenient places, 

 while the representative of the Land of Cakes all the 

 time expressed his belief that they were GOO-COOS. I 

 may have looked on, but I was not &particeps criminis. 



What a stock of comestibles had been brought on 

 board in the shape of fruit, &c., during our absence ! 

 The ship almost compared with Covent Garden. It was 

 evident that we were not to be starved during the 

 remainder of the voyage ; and fortunately so, for in a 

 day or two we experienced tropical weather, when fruit 

 is ever most acceptable. 



